Week in photos

A student, second from left, is flanked by an unidentified woman and police officers as they leave a Jewish school after a gunman opened fire in Toulouse, southwestern France. A father and his two sons were among four people who died Monday when a gunman opened fire in front of a Jewish school in Toulouse.

AP Photo

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is seen at sunrise. The famous Sydney landmark celebrates its 80th birthday. New South Wales Premier Jack Lang opened the iconic bridge which is affectionatly also called “The Coathanger.”

EPA

Greece Panathinaikos fans attack police with fire extinguishers and seats. The Athens Superleague derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos was abandoned after home fans set fire to several parts of the stadium and threw missiles and flares at police in Athens, Greece.

ZUMA24.com

Members of a SWAT team and the Border Guards participate in a drill at a military training ground outside of Zamosc, near the Ukrainian border. Various units of Poland’s anti-terrorist police, together with a special section of the Border Guards and other emergency services, are participating in a series of joint exercises leading up to the Euro 2012.

REUTERS

The Washington Monument in Washington, DC serves as a back drop to the Cherry blossoms which have come full bloom due to the early warm weather along the East coast. The blossoms are expected to reach their peak on Tuesday.

AFP/Getty Images

Supporters of anti-U.S. Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a rally in Basra, southeast of Baghdad. Up to a million followers of Iraqi cleric Sadr took to the streets on Monday in a massive show of force before an Arab League summit which Iraq’s long-oppressed Shi’ite majority view as their debut on the regional stage.

REUTERS

In this photo, a wldfire sends up a huge wall of smoke, forcing authorities to temporarily close a section of U.S. Highway 34 east of Yuma, Ariz. when the fire filled the skies with so much smoke that firefighters couldn’t see the flames. Evacuated residents of the small Colorado town of Eckley have been allowed to return home after firefighters contained most of the wildfire.

AP Photo

Dubai is seen at night on a photograph taken by an Expedition 30 crew member on the International Space Station. The city presents an eye-catching appearance at night that vividly displays the urban development pattern.

AP Photo/NASA

A model showcases a creation by the US fashion designer Gottex and Giddeon Oberson during a Skybridge fashion show at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Student protesters demonstrate during a rally against the government’s plan to raise fuel prices in Makassar, part of Indonesia’s south Sulawesi province.

REUTERS

Natasha Moraes de Andrade displays her hair at her home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The girl nicknamed ‘Rapunzel’ plans to cut her 1.6m of hair for the first time. This Brazilian 12-year-old is eyeing a $5,500 payday when she shears her 5-foot cascade of hair for use in wigs and extensions.

Daniela Dacorso/Barcroft USA

A supporter of former President Mohamed Nasheed throws a stone towards policemen during a protest near the parliament against President Mohammed Waheed Hassan addressing lawmakers in Male, Maldives. The new president of the Maldives addressed lawmakers and opened Parliament amid vehement protests by the opposition on Monday, nearly six weeks after he took office in a contentious power transfer that his predecessor has called a coup. Authorities used tear gas earlier in the day as several hundred demonstrators blocked roads and shouted slogans calling for Hassan’s resignation.

AP Photo

Smoke rises from the Zhongcai Mansion in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. Firefighters tried to extinguish the flames after a fire broke out at the mansion around 3:00 p.m. local time.

ZUMAPRESS.com

A Bavarian student cycles in a bikini while enjoying the weather in the English Garden in Munich, Germany.

ZUMAPRESS.com

Sri Lankan Buddhist monks protest in Colombo. The monks are protesting the US-led move to censure Sri Lanka at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva over its alleged war crimes while crushing Tamil rebels in 2009.

AFP/Getty Images

A man carries beach balls and inflatable toys for sale near a park in Lahore, Pakistan.

REUTERS

Papier mache figures are burned during the Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain. Every year the city of Valencia celebrates the ancient “Las Fallas” fiesta, a noisy week that is full of fireworks and processions in honor of Saint Joseph which climaxes in the burning of large paper mache figures displayed around the streets of the city.

AP Photo

Sri Lankan pro-government supporters are held back by police barricades as they demonstrate during a protest march in Colombo. Hundreds of demonstrators took the streets of Colombo and marched towards the British Embassy to denounce Western moves to censure Sri Lanka at this week’s UN Human Rights Council meeting.

AFP/Getty Images

A boy plays in the mud on the bank of the Bago river in Bago, Myanmar.

REUTERS

Indian farmer R. Lakshmi Narasaiah arranges a display of watermelons prior to an auction at The Gaddiannaram wholesale fruit market on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

AFP/Getty Images

A believer asking for a miracle is helped to emerge from the mud at “El Pozito” in El Espinazo, Monterrey, Mexico. Thousands of believers took part in a procession along the town of El Espinazo to ask for miracles to “Nino Fidencio”, a famous Mexican ‘curandero’ (folk healer), whose spirit still heals people, according to the legend.

AFP/Getty Images

A woman collects drinking water in plastic pots from a community tap outside her residence in Bangalore in anticipation of the annual “World Water Day” observed on March 22.

AFP/Getty Images

Afghans gather to celebrate Afghan New Year (Nawroz) in Kabul. Afghanistan uses the Persian calendar which runs from the vernal equinox. The calendar takes as its start date the time when the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina in 621 AD. The current Persian year is 1391.

REUTERS

Peggy Marchanti, widow of Army Maj. Robert J. Marchanti II of Baltimore, Md., is seated during funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.. Marchanti, 48, of the Maryland Army National Guard, was shot and killed at the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul in February.

AP Photo

A woman walks past a light sculpture by Loop.pH entitled “Luminous Lace” in the Stone Hall at Kensington Palace in London, England. Kensington Palace is due to reopen to the public on March 26, following a 12 million GBP renovation project.

WireImage

Anti-government protesters armed with Molotov cocktails clash with riot police in a street filled with tear gas and the smoke of burning debris, in the western village of Shahrakan, Bahrain. Clashes erupted after thousands of mourners participated in the politically charged funeral for Sabri Mahfoudh, 27, whose death the opposition and his family blame on the effects of tear gas.

AP Photo

An animal rights activist protests against meat consumption through a performance to promote vegetarianism during “Day Without Meat” in Barcelona, Spain.

REUTERS

Syrian army soldiers look through a hole in a building as they search for Syrian rebels in a suburb of Damascus, Syria. An international human rights group accused Syria’s armed opposition on Tuesday of carrying out serious abuses, including the kidnapping and torture of security forces, in a sign of the growing complexity of the year-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.

AP Photo

South Korean army soldiers wearing protective gear talk each other during an anti-terrorism exercise for Nuclear Security Summit at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea is due to host the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul on March 26-27, and North Korea’s nuclear program was expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the gathering.

AP Photo

Thunderstorms announce the coming of spring on Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

AP Photo

Egyptian Coptic Christians gathering to bid farewell to Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, during his funeral in Cairo, Egypt. Thousands of people packed the cathedral for the funeral of Pope Shenouda III, who died on March 17 at the age of 88.

EPA

A Pakistani villager walks during a dust storm in the suburbs of Islamabad, Pakistan. A massive dust storm engulfs various parts of Pakistan restricting the visibility and disrupting domestic and international flights in the country’s southern region.

AP Photo

Romanian model Ema Dumitrescu, poses with her champion dress during a successful attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest wedding dress train, in Bucharest, Romania. The record breaking wedding dress train measures 2,750 meters.

EPA

An anti-government protester runs for cover after throwing a molotov cocktail at an armored personnel carrier (APC) belonging to riot police during clashes in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama.

REUTERS

Daffodils blossom at Fentongollan Farm near Truro, England.

Getty Images

A model displays a creation designed by Japanese designer Shiho Shiroma during the Shiroma 2012-13 autumn and winter collection as part of Tokyo Fashion Week.

AFP/Getty Images

A Somali boy looks at a car bomb after it exploded at a busy street in Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu, wounding at least one security officer in the latest in a spate of insurgent attacks.

French swimmer Laure Manaudou competes during the series of the 50m backstrok in Dunkirk, northern France, during the French Swimming Championships.

AFP/Getty Images

Wearing their traditional costumes, Kyrgyz girls dance at the Ala-Too Square in Bishkek during the annual celebration of Newroz (New Year) holiday.

AFP/Getty Images

Protesters block a road in Puerto Aysen, Chilean Patagonia, south of Santiago. Residents of the Aysen region launched a protest demanding a subsidy for fuel and wood, vital in the southern Chile’s winter with its very low temperatures, and asking for healthcare and educational reforms.

AFP/Getty Images

A young Indian boy drinks water from a public tap in Agartala, India.

AP Photo

Smoke from burning tires blankets a student protester during a demonstration against the government’s plan to raise fuel prices in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

AP

A fireman walks past a large hay bale fire west of Trenton, N.D. At least five fire departments were called to combat the blaze, which initially grew quickly in size due to high winds in the area.

AP

Family members react during a funeral for the victims of Monday’s shooting in Toulouse at a cemetery in Jerusalem. A rabbi and three children gunned down at a Jewish school in France were buried Wednesday in a Jerusalem cemetery.

AP

Syrian rebels step on a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Idlib province, Syria. The “extremely dangerous” conflict in Syria could have global repercussions, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

AP

A group gathers and chants “we want justice” in Sanford, Fla., in support of an unarmed black teenager who was shot to death by a neighborhood watch captain in Florida.

AP

This photo provided by the Colorado Civil Air Patrol shows Dwaine & Lucy Eastin home and property on Yuma County Road 26 that was destroyed by the strong Fire that began southeast of Yuma, Colo.

AP

An animal rights activist poses as a piece of meat during a protest to promote vegetarianism on “Meat Out Day” in Cali.

REUTERS

A girl waves a miniature flag of the National League for Democracy party as supporters wait to welcome Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during her election campaign in Dagon Port township in Yangon, Myanmar.

AP

A shirtless runner passes blooming cherry trees in Riverside Park in New York.

AP Photo

A boy dances in a water fountain in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. World Water Day is celebrated on March 22.

REUTERS

A riot policeman walks amid a tear gas cloud during a protest in support of the people of Aysen. The protests occurred after the end of a meeting called by the Confederation of Students of Chile in support of the southern Aysen Region who are protesting against fuel prices and infrastructure problems, the fishing industry, education and more.

ZUMA24.com

A pack of cyclists travel along Southern California’s coast on the Pacific Coast Highway north of Malibu, Calif.

AFP/Getty Images

A student protester walks past burning tires during a protest against the government’s plans to raise fuel prices near a fuel station in Makassar. The government planned to raise fuel prices by at least a third to ease state coffers pressured by high oil costs, even though that may push up inflation.

REUTERS

Huang Sufang reacts after attempting to protect her home as workers move in for demolition orders in Yangji village, Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. According to local media, part of Huang’s house was demolished mistakenly as workers were demolishing another nearby building. Yangji is a former village that comprised more than 1,000 homes that were slated for redevelopment and have been gradually demolished, making way for modern housing.

AFP/Getty Images

Women work in a field as part of a cash for work program run by the French NGO Action Against Hunger to build dikes to hold water near Diapaga, northeast of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

AFP/Getty Images

Hindu devotees carry an effigy locally called “Ogoh-ogoh” a demonic representation, ahead of the Silent Day or Nyepi in Klaten, Central Java. The Silent Day is the Hindu new year, a day to contemplate and cleanse the mind and body.

AFP/Getty Images

A farmer carries cucumbers from his field to sell in the markets in the northern Indian city of Allahabad. India’s inflation rate rose a faster-than-expected 6.95 percent from a year earlier in February, after a spike in vegetable prices fanned food inflation.

REUTERS

Onlookers and firefighters stand near smoke rising from a burnt market in Kolkata. Hundreds of shops were destroyed in a major fire that broke out at the market in the old quarters.

REUTERS

Saudi camels riders perform at the opening ceremony of the Rabih Tabuk Festival (Tabuk Spring Festival) in the desert, near Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

REUTERS

Workers prepare to launch a 45-foot paper airplane from the Pima Air and Space Museum over the desert in Eloy, Arizona. One of the world’s largest paper airplanes, designed by renowned engineer Art Thompson, was launched to encourage youth interest in aviation.

REUTERS

A couple sit it what is expected to be confirmed as the world’s largest deckchair on Bournemouth beach, southern England. The giant chair was built by sculptor Stuart Murdoch and measures almost 28 feet tall.

AP Photo

Bahraini anti-government protesters throw Molotov cocktails and rocks at armored personnel carriers in Sanabis, Bahrain, on the edge of the capital of Manama. Clashes erupted after local residents claimed a teenager was attacked by police.

AP Photo

Visitors to Indonesian Hot Air Balloon festival get inside a balloon in Sentul in the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia.

AP Photo

Indian people dressed in traditional attire take part in a procession to mark “Gudi Padwa,” or Maharashtrian New Year, in Mumbai, India.

AP Photo

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he boards a plane on his way to a six-day visit to Mexico and Cuba, at Rome’s Fiumicino international airport.

AP Photo

Iraqi security forces patrol in the cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 22, 2012. The Iraqi government has tightened its security measures as al Qaeda’s front group in Iraq claimed Wednesday it was behind a wave of attacks to how weak the nation’s security is heading into next week’s Arab League summit in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

AP Photo

A Syrian woman, right, kisses a soldier from the Free Syrian Army in front a destroyed Syrian army forces tank which was attacked during clashes between the Syrian government forces and the Syrian rebels, in Rastan town in Homs province.

AP Photo

A child from Myanmar scavenges for a living on rubbish at the dump site in Thailand’s Mae Sot town near the Thai-Myanmar border.

AP Photo

Shepherds lead their flock of sheep along on the Guozigou segment of the Lianyungang-Horgos expressway as vehicles drive past the other side in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, China.

REUTERS

A man holds up his Tibetan mastiff as they perform on stage during a dog beauty contest at an exhibition center in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China.

REUTERS

Pedestrians walk along a street in the morning light in Santiago de Cuba. Fourteen years after Pope John Paul II visited Cuba, Pope Benedict is scheduled to arrive into the communist country on Monday the 26th. Benedict, who will be arriving from Mexico, will conduct a mass in the city of Santiago de Cuba first followed by a mass in Havana before leaving on the 28th. Tensions are high in Cuba between dissidents and the government as activists hope the international exposure of the Papal visit will result in renewed attention to their struggle for greater freedoms.

Getty Images

A performer falls with a bicycle after riding it off the 10 meter platform during a break in competition at the FINA Diving World Series being held at the National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube, in Beijing.

REUTERS

A masked French special unit policeman looks out of one of the ground floor windows where special forces staged an assault on gunman Mohamed Merah, in Toulouse. The 23-year-old gunman who said al Qaeda inspired him to kill seven people in France died in a hail of bullets on Thursday as he scrambled out of a ground-floor window during a gunbattle with elite police commandos. Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, died from a gunshot wound to his head at the end of a 30-hour standoff with police at his apartment in southern France and after confessing to killing three soldiers, three Jewish children and a rabbi.

REUTERS

Balinese children carry an Ogoh-ogoh effigy, symbolizing the evil spirit, during a ritual ahead of Nyepi day in Ubud Gianyar, Bali. Nyepi is a day of silence to celebrate the Balinese new year, reserved for self-reflection, where people are not allowed to use lights, light fires, work, travel nor enjoy entertainment. During Nyepi, the airport in Bali also remains closed. The only people who are allowed on the streets are the Pecalang, traditional security officials who patrol the streets to ensure that the prohibitions are being followed.

REUTERS

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Andrew Alberts (L) wrestles with Dallas Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas (2nd L) and left wings Steve Ott (2nd R) and Brenden Morrow during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Dallas, Texas.

REUTERS

President Barack Obama makes a point about Dartmouth College president Jim Yong Kim (L) as he introduces him as his nominee to be the next president of the World Bank, during an announcement in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington.

REUTERS

A policeman strikes AFP photojournalist Patricia Melo during the Portuguese general strike in Lisbon. Portugal faces a general strike by workers angered by austerity measures imposed as a condition of a 78-billion euro bailout last year.

REUTERS

A mother and child enjoy the warm summer-like temperatures in London, Britain.

EPA

Anna Chapman, who was deported from the U.S. on charges of espionage, displays a creations by I Love Fashion during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia.

AP Photo

A combination of pictures shows booth assistants in costumes posing at the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2012 in Tokyo. The world’s largest animation expo kicked off on Thursday and runs until March 25.

REUTERS

Eight-year-old Floris inspects a mirror cube at the “Extavium” museum in Potsdam, eastern Germany. The new interactive museum, formerly known as “Exploratorium Potsdam”, re-opened with much more space for its 130 exhibits and interactive offers for children and their parents.